I found this book to be a cute enjoyable read, I absolutely enjoyed the banter that's my favorite. I did think the story could use a bit more juice. I love a grumpy sunshine opposite attracts, but this one seem to fail to hit the way I wanted it to. it is a cute read but the story took forever to progress when it did and I just wanted more.

I started out really enjoying this because I'm here for banter and thats basically 90% of what this story consists of. And it's mostly actually funny not the "banter" that falls flat. At least at first.

However, as the story progressed... or didn't progress... I felt like we really needed some substance to go with the banter. And I don't mean the rest of it should be sex, as it is here.

I just cared less and less about the characters the more focused on sex it became. And the banter stopped being funny and began to feel stale because it wasn't really evolving. Also there was way too much miscommunication and I kept getting more and more annoyed at it because it kept getting more and more ridiculous.

Alfie and Mabel both have a lot of issues holding them back that clearly stem from trauma but I wanted to see that trauma brought to light and actually talked about and dealt with not just alluded to between lusting after each other.

The audiobook narrator did a good job bringing Alfie and Mabel to life and giving them distinct voices, although it was occasionally a little difficult for me to catch what she was saying. I would recommend reading it via audio if you choose to read it because the voices she uses for them and the way she speaks the lines make them funnier.

*Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for providing an early copy for review.

I tried to love this one. Opposites attract is such a fun trope. But the dialogue did not grab my attention. The plot didn’t have much action either or anything exciting going on. Not my favorite.

I loved this fun opposites attract rom-com. I love that the MMC was so grumpy and the FMC was happy and "sunshiney" Banter is a huge plus for me and this book had a lot of it. I found it hilarious and laughed out loud multiple times. I love the tropes this book executed. Read if you love banter, slow burn, fake dating, and grumpy sunshine. I loved how the FMC was portrayed as curvy and I thought it was executed well. Fake dating is one of my favorites. I loved Alfie and Mabel so much.

This is a cute rom com read. If you need a pallet cleanser this is the perfect book for you. Thank you netgalley, the author and publisher for allowing me to read this book.

Unfortunately this book didn't hit for me. I wanted to love this one. The idea of the plot spoke to me and the cover art is adorable. However there was too much banter (Is there such a thing? This book proves there is.) and not enough story building. Once the main characters got together there wasn't much in terms of story and too much focus on spice.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

DNF'd about 20% through. The bater was like cats fighting in heat. I love a good grumpy sunshine, but this was not done well.

I never thought there could be a thing as too much banter, but this book proved me wrong. I love banter, but this one was too much. And the grumpy part of grumpy/sunshine wasn't very grumpy...

"When Grumpy Met Sunshine" by Charlotte Stein is a delightful and steamy romance that delivers on both charm and chemistry. Grumpy ex-footballer Alfie Harding finds himself reluctantly agreeing to sell his memoirs, but with a disdain for revealing anything personal about himself. Enter Mabel Willicker, a bubbly and vibrant ghostwriter who is determined to coax out Alfie's story, much to his chagrin. What ensues is a delightful dance of banter and sparks as these polar opposites clash and then unexpectedly find themselves drawn to each other. As their fake relationship for the public starts to feel all too real, the heat between them becomes undeniable. Stein weaves a captivating tale filled with humor, sass, and plenty of steam, making "When Grumpy Met Sunshine" a thoroughly enjoyable read from start to finish.

ADHD for Smart Ass Women is a no nonsense way to define ADHD for women who may or may not been diagnosed yet. Although there are statistics and numbers supporting the facts, but at no time did I feel overwhelmed with the scientific information and jargon. Tracy Otsuka explains what ADHD for women as well as the misconceptions behind why it is not diagnosed sooner.

I did listen to the audiobook, but believe having the eBook as a resource would also be helpful. The author states strategies that I need to review and would be easier to visualize rather than listen.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5 Stars

Happy Publication to Charlotte Stein and When Grumpy Met Sunshine. Thank you to Charlotte Stein, @stmartinspress, and @netgalley for allowing me to read an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) of When Grumpy Met Sunshine for an honest review!

📆This book was published on Tuesday, February 6, 2025 and can be purchased at your local bookstore or on Amazon!📆

Former ex-footballer, Alfie, is faced with choosing a ghostwriter for his memoir. Although the decision ended up being easy, the outcome was never what he would have expected (in a million years).

Ghostwriter, Mabel, is somewhat star struck but determined to write Alfie’s memoir well. She works hard at getting him to open up…which no one has been able to do in quite some time.

Tropes
💕 Grumpy x Sunshine
💕 Opposites Attract
💕 Fake Dating
💕 Miscommunication Trope

What I liked about the book:
📖 The tropes especially the fake dating.
📖 Alfie’s dream of being a writer.
📖 Alfie’s sensitive side.
📖 Mabel’s ability to pull Alfie out of his comfort zone when working on his memoir.

What didn’t quite make the mark 🎯 for me:
📖 Mabel was too indecisive and insecure at times.
📖 Alfie’s inability to divulge his true feelings right away.
📖 Storyline dragged in a few places.
📖 Narration and banter were hard to follow at times.
📖 Miscommunication trope was used too often.

I’m just one person and one reviewer. So, I definitely recommend reading the book to see what you think!

I had such high hopes... and was left so disappointed. I normally enjoy banter between couples but this just seemed so over the top that I couldn't help but skim the majority of the interaction between our two main characters. Overall, this was just not a book that I enjoyed. However, I did love appreciate the body inclusivity that this book offered- especially as a plus size reader. But if someone asked me if I would recommend this, my answer would be no. There are a lot better Charlotte Stein books out there.

This book was so lovely and so charming. The main characters were beautiful people who fell in a beautiful love. I cannot express how much I enjoyed reading about two emotionally scarred and slightly insecure people being vulnerable and real with each other. We need more books like this! Extra bonus points for the curvy heroine <3

Finally a real rom-com! This book is funny, full of heart, with some of the hottest scenes I've read in a while, while still being incredibly sweet with a swoon worthy ending that brought tears to my eyes. I haven't loved a book this much in a long time!

Mabel is ghostwriting ex-footballer Alfie Harding's memoirs. He's abrupt and a grump but Mabel sees through his bluster. Alfie sees Mabel's big heart and overcomes her fears of could a superstar athlete really want a regular girl like me? Why yes, Mabel, yes he could.

CW include some fatphobia. Mabel does not feel bad about herself but there are some social media asides where random people either either speculating, celebrating, or denigrating the possibility of Mabel and Alfie being in a relationship. I think Stein handles this all realistically. For anyone who has ever been on Twitter, one has seen the random comments about all kinds of celebrities and the people they are with, the clothes they wear, their appearance, etc etc etc. This all felt realistic and not harmful to me.

I'm really looking forward to diving into Stein's backlist. I can't recommend this one enough.

3.5 stars - I really enjoyed this book. I liked both characters and especially liked their banter. It was silly, in a good way, and a lot of fun. The pacing was interesting and maybe not for everyone. The first third of the book they are starting to work together and get to know each other. Then through around 80% there relationship turns pretty physical, although it doesn’t necessarily seem unrealistic. This book is probably only for readers who like a decent amount of spice, but looking at the book covers of the author’s other books it was actually not at all surprising. I do absolutely prefer this type of book cover to those, though. The end was very sweet, although the fact that they’re head over heels in love and don’t speak for a year is a bit nuts. It didn’t really need to be that long. It almost seems ridiculous that they have that “misunderstanding” towards the end, but considering both their past relationship trauma, it’s maybe a bit more believable. Overall this was a fun, quick read. I would definitely consider checking out future books by this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me access to this eARC for my honest opinion!

Alfie was the most lovable, thoughtful grump ever. Mabel may have been sunshine, but she wasn't a pushover, which is what made this work. Very fun read!

First, thank you Charlotte Stein, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC! Sadly this book is not what I expected. The first 60% was very slow burn and cringy at moments. The other half was cringy bad spice. I love a good spicy story but some of the lines were awful. Overall this book is not for me and I would probably not recommend.

This was sadly a DNF for me. I really wanted to like it - the trope, the fun cover. But alas, the writing felt all over the place, the characters seemed flat and one-dimensional, and I just couldn’t do it.

I chose to not review this one on social because of the low rating for the sake of the author.

This book was actually so hard for me to review. Throughout the first 60% of the story, I thought for sure that I would be giving it two stars. It took me forever to work my way through it because the writing style was just too chaotic for me. I felt no connection to the main characters and couldn’t seem to enjoy the reading experience.

But I’m not gonna lie…the spice was uh, quite spicy. And I loved it. Once that showed up around the 70% mark, I decided to add another star to my rating. I often find that authors end up making spicy scenes incredibly awkward and uncomfortable for the reader, but this author did a great job with her scenes.

So there you have it. This one is definitely not for every romance reader out there. You really just have to try it out for yourself and see how you feel. But bonus points for a super cute cover and a fat FMC!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press & St. Martin’s Griffin for my gifted copy!

Charlotte Stein is some kind of wordsmithing wizard able to string profanity, humor, heat, and longing with just a few elegantly thrown f-bombs.

[H]e slid around her, and she could feel something brushing against her butt and her back and oh god, his thighs. Oh no, oh fuck, his thighs. His thighs were really big. And they were surrounding her, like meaty prison bars.

If you are familiar with Charlotte Stein's singularly hot writing style, beware of the slow, slow burn. There is so much horniness and yearning, and my god, there is only one bed! And fyi, "And Now the Sequel to Only One Back Seat of a Car" has to be the best chapter title ever.

The problem is when Alfie and Mabel are away from their one bed (and only one backseat of a car) moments. Charlotte Stein + Roy Kent should have equaled romance magic. I'm a longtime fan of the author. And a huge fan of Roy Kent. But somehow, they just didn't mesh for me. Too much internal monologuing, too much repetition, too much insecurity, just too much of everything but actual romance between Alfie and Mabel.

Still, as a Charlotte Stein fan, it is glorious to see her back in form. I can't wait to read more from her, just maybe not from the Apple TV oeuvre.